Qatar leverages FIFA World Cup platform to raise awareness of plastic reduction strategies through One Tide
To mark this year’s World Environment Day, the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) hosted a series of workshops to raise awareness of plastic reduction strategies.
The workshops were held during the One Tide Week campaign, which was held from 29 May to 4 June. Delivered by the SC and Seven Clean Seas as part of the One Tide programme, the workshops provided local organisations with tools and strategies to tackle plastic waste, which costs the global economy an estimated US$80 billion every year.
In addition to the workshops, the campaign included a roundtable discussion on future policy recommendations to tackle plastic pollution in Qatar, with a particular focus on sectors in the country that directly support the delivery of the FIFA World Cup. Participants also learned about the SC’s efforts to reduce plastic consumption during major tournaments – including the FIFA Arab Cup™, which was held in November and December last year.
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Eng. Bodour Al Meer, the SC’s Sustainability Director, said: “We are determined to leverage the FIFA World Cup platform to raise awareness of important environmental issues and promote action among people and businesses. Campaigns such as One Tide Week help to focus attention on major issues like plastic waste and promote ways of reducing plastic pollution. With targeted strategies and concerted effort, we can all play our part in helping the environment.”
Majed Al Mansoori, Sustainability Specialist at the SC, said: “Our goal is to leave a sustainable legacy long after the FIFA World Cup has taken place. Increasing the amount of plastic recycling and avoiding single-use plastics will help us to achieve our objectives – and workshops like those held during One Tide Week will push us closer to our aims.”
During the workshops, strategies were shared on making meetings, conferences and festivals more environmentally-friendly, while participants also discussed how to reduce the number of merchandise products made from plastic.
“One Tide was actually created as a meeting point for all the great sustainability initiatives that are going on here in Qatar,” said Tom Peacock-Nazil, Founder & CEO, Seven Clean Seas. “The main goal of One Tide Week was to bring everybody together and bring more insight and information to really help propel the sustainability movement forward.”
Workshop attendees welcomed the opportunity to learn and collaborate on the topic of plastic waste and how it can benefit the businesses and organisations they represent. “We are very pleased to have workshops like these in Qatar,” said Nasser Al Khalaf, CEO of Qatari food company Agrico. “Our goal is to turn Qatar into a greener country, so these workshops are a great opportunity to meet experts in the field and learn about recycling companies. It’s a wonderful networking opportunity.”
One Tide will continue to inform and engage with people and businesses in Qatar throughout 2022, as the country prepares to host the first FIFA World Cup™ in the Middle East and Arab world. The programme will provide regular social media updates about plastic reduction projects and explain the damage plastic waste is causing to the world’s oceans and marine life.
